About Becoming a Magical Girl

She glanced sideways at Yukina.

"This stretch of road... has already been abandoned..."

Yukina remained silent.

Efnir pressed her lips together before speaking again.

"This sort of thing is common too. Although funding and manpower are still fairly abundant, the resources gathered from this city and the surrounding towns are nearly exhausted. We have no choice but to abandon less important areas and stop maintaining them. Everything is becoming scarce now—clean water, essential oil. Keeping the Boundary Stele operational requires a constant expenditure of enormous amounts of electricity, but the power transmission facilities left behind from 'that era' have also aged. Supplies are gradually beginning to fall short."

Since the nuclear power plant left over from the old generation had reached the end of its lifespan and been removed from the grid, the city's energy crisis had worsened. There was nothing to be done about it. Given the resources Xijing City could currently obtain, even putting the nuclear plant back into operation had become difficult.

"Besides that, our weapons and material reserves are in danger too. This city never inherited the capacity from 'that era' to outfit helicopters and fighter jets, and the usable equipment in storage is becoming scarcer by the day. Yukina, you understand what that means, don't you...?"

Efnir looked toward the end of the road. It was pitch-black there, with only the headlights stubbornly shining into the darkness.

"Everything is being compressed. One day, it will become a spark of unrest and erupt... If we cannot make progress in our investigation and reclamation efforts Beyond the Boundary soon, then amid the repeated attacks by Erosion Entities, this city will eventually reach a point where it can no longer repair itself. It will plunge uncontrollably into the abyss of decay. That will be the day this city disappears from the map."

The car continued onward before stopping in front of the Orderkeeper Headquarters building.

"Ah, we're here. It really was a little far coming from that direction..."

Efnir gestured ahead.

"This is the headquarters of the Orderkeepers. Well, part of it was damaged in the last attack, but it still looks rather impressive from here... Yukina's school probably organized activities here too, right?"

Every school held similar teacher-student activities, mainly involving educational visits and study related to the Orderkeepers and White Hole Erosion. Agents would also be invited to personally teach the students short classes.

For students, activities like that happened once or twice nearly every semester. They were effectively "courses" established by schools to improve students' understanding of the subject.

"Mm... The teacher brought us here once... You seemed to be away at the time."

"Huh? Was I...?"

"Anyway, you never tell me anything about yourself, Sister."

"Ah... um..."

Efnir suddenly faltered, unsure how to answer Yukina's pointed words.

"I'm sorry, Yukina. I never intended to keep it from you forever, but back then, I didn't have the ability to protect you, and I didn't have enough courage either. After hesitating for so long, I gradually started worrying about other things too, so please forgive me..."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Sister. I don't want you apologizing."

Yukina pursed her lips and said nothing more, turning her gaze aside.

It had happened not long after she first met Efnir. Yukina no longer remembered which Agent had lectured during that visit. She only remembered carefully wandering alone through the open areas provided by the headquarters building during the tour, hoping to find a chance to catch even a distant glimpse of Efnir. Yet... in the end, her wish had not been granted. She later learned from the Agent who had given the lecture that Efnir had happened to be out on a mission.

The memory had been plain and uninteresting. Whenever she occasionally recalled it later, only a faint regret lingered in her heart.

The figure she followed had always been so, so far away. She had never had a chance to get close. Although she had felt unwilling to accept that, she had never imagined what it would be like to "get close to her and stay by her side."

Back then, Efnir had been utterly beyond Yukina's reach.

And now, she had become her own sister.

Shinomiyami

To Yukina, her past life with the brother named "Yanase Naoto" had become dreamlike—blurred and impossible to grasp.

Now that the back of the brother she admired and the face of the Efnir she loved had gradually merged together, she could no longer tell which was Efnir's true appearance.

"Since the headquarters building is being rebuilt, the medical department has been transferred to United Hospital."

Efnir spoke.

"It's a little far away, but United Hospital is the only place with the medical facilities we need, so there's nothing we can do about that inconvenience. Also, the underground parking garage has been converted into office space, and my department has moved into the underground special zone, so I probably can't show you where I usually 'work'... But if you're interested, I can introduce you to my colleagues. Anyway, let's get out and head over."

"Mm..."

Efnir got out of the car first.

Yukina opened the door and looked along the somewhat dilapidated road toward the building.

It was a remarkably conspicuous inverted-U-shaped building, its windows bright with lights in the night. It looked different from how she remembered it last time. Nearly a third of the building had been damaged, and intense reconstruction work was underway. Construction workers bustled everywhere, along with patrolling soldiers.

"Come with me."

Efnir took Yukina's hand and walked straight ahead.

Her palm was warm and soft, like the feeling of traveling alone beneath clear skies.

Yukina quietly followed her.

All the departments Efnir belonged to had moved into the special area beneath the headquarters building. Since this place had originally been intended as a warehouse and temporary shelter, there were no separate offices. The employees' desks were arranged face-to-face in rows, serving as workspaces.

Yukina looked around curiously.

The air carried the distinct chill of air conditioning, heavy with the faint scent of printing ink and paper. Busy figures hurried past her, while the air was filled with the rustle of turning pages and the clatter of keyboards.

The working atmosphere was far more serious than she had imagined.

This was the organization where her sister had always worked... the Orderkeepers.

"This is the Internal Affairs Department. It has a close relationship with the department I belong to. Generally speaking, many matters are centralized and assigned here."

Efnir said.

"After two major disasters in a row, everyone in the department has been run ragged... Well, there's no helping it. The losses caused by these two Erosion Disasters were enormous, far beyond what we could bear. Agents, logistics personnel, and civil servants alike suffered considerable casualties, and we're severely understaffed now. Anyway, let's head over there. If I stay here, I'll interfere with their work."

Only then did Yukina realize that ever since she and Efnir had arrived, people had been casting curious glances their way.

"Mm..."

Yukina took Efnir's hand herself and followed her to one side. At that moment, a stylishly dressed young woman approached them. Just as Yukina noticed her, the woman saw Efnir and Yukina as well.

"Efnir!"

The young woman came up to Efnir and greeted her.

"Why did you come here at a time like this? I was worried about you just now..."

"Oh, I was looking for you too."

Yukina looked at the young woman and frowned slightly.

This was the young woman she had seen with her "brother" that morning. Yukina disliked her somewhat. She was holding a cup of coffee and a stack of documents, and her eyes happened to meet Yukina's.

Then the other woman froze for a moment, her face filled with utter shock.

"L-Little Yukina??"

Shinomiyami Nami's surprise did not seem feigned in the slightest. Yukina saw that she nearly spilled the coffee in her hand.

"Do we know each other?"

Yukina's tone could hardly be called polite, like a father interrogating his daughter's boyfriend.

"I'm..."

"She's Shinomiyami Nami, my Agent. You met each other earlier today."

Efnir explained before Shinomiyami Nami could.

Now it was Yukina's turn to be stunned.

"Miss Shinomiyami...?"

"Because her work is a little unusual, Shinomiyami Nami changes her appearance somewhat when she acts as an Agent. This is what she normally looks like."

"So that's how it is..."

Shinomiyami Nami still looked as though she had seen a ghost, and Yukina felt much the same.

No matter how she looked at it... Shinomiyami Nami's current appearance was not something that could be achieved by merely "changing somewhat." She was practically a completely different person from the Agent she had been.

Still, if she only looked at her face and ignored the clothing and makeup, she did seem somewhat familiar.

Yukina had sensed that subtle familiarity from the moment she saw her that morning. Perhaps it was because she had met Shinomiyami Nami before.

"Miss Shinomiyami Nami, I was truly rude just now. I didn't realize it was you..."

"Ah, n-no, it's fine. Don't worry about it..."

Shinomiyami Nami still seemed unable to process things, her gaze shifting blankly between Efnir and Yukina.

"By the way, what are you two doing...?"

"I'm showing Yukina what my work is like. Don't worry, we won't interfere with anyone else. Also, Nami, is the Commander downstairs?"

"Ah, she is! I just saw her heading down with Miss Canary."

"Is that so... I have something to discuss with her. Before that, could I ask you to take Yukina to get something to eat?"

Shinomiyami Nami brought Yukina to the first basement level, an area temporarily carved out of what had once been an underground parking garage.

At this hour, there were not many people in the temporary cafeteria. A few employees sat scattered around, most of them resting with coffee like Shinomiyami Nami. Yukina was the only one who had ordered a meal and was eating dinner.

There were no windows around them. As an employee cafeteria, this former parking garage was exceptionally plain, even somewhat crude.

The two of them sat facing each other at a dining table.

"Sorry, Little Yukina. Construction is still going on upstairs, so the employee cafeteria can only make do with a place like this for now... Mm, I wonder if the food here suits your taste."

"Not at all. The food is delicious."

Yukina smiled as she spoke.

She had gone hungry the entire day and was already starving. Being able to eat something now was undoubtedly a godsend for Yukina.

"Rather, I'm happy to personally try the food that Miss Shinomiyami Nami and my sister usually eat. Thank you, Miss Shinomiyami Nami."

"You don't need to thank me for something like that."

Shinomiyami Nami sat properly, waving her hand with a wry smile.

After everything that had happened today, Shinomiyami Nami no longer knew what attitude she should take toward Yukina.

She had a feeling that something had happened between Efnir and Yukina, and that Yukina carried some important secret—something that was likely very important to Efnir.

"To me, Little Yukina is like a little sister. Being too polite just makes us seem distant."

She smiled.

"I still want to thank you. My sister has caused you trouble all this time, and you took care of me today too..."

Yukina politely lowered her gaze.

"And because of some misunderstandings, I made unfair assumptions about you in my heart. I hope Miss Shinomiyami won't take it to heart."

"Huh? Is that so...? Well, it doesn't really matter..."

Shinomiyami Nami casually changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, you call Miss Yanase... 'Sister' now?"

"That..."

Yukina wore a troubled expression and let out a faint sigh.

"There was no choice. Honestly, I'm still not really used to it either."

Shinomiyami Nami's expression turned subtle.

"That makes sense. After all, she really is your sister..."

All this time, Efnir had referred to herself as "Brother" in front of her younger sister.

No one had ever figured out why Efnir had been so insistent on playing the role of an older brother. Occasionally, they had speculated whether it was because "brother" was male, fundamentally eliminating the possibility that her younger sister would suspect her identity, or because for a girl who had lost her parents early on, an older brother could offer a greater sense of security...

In the end, all of that was merely imprecise speculation.